At least 12 snakes have been captured at a home in Melbourne’s north-east over the past three years, with the reasons for the “abnormal” occurrence largely unexplained.
Pelley has become a regular at the Diamond Creek home, after catching nine brown snakes and one tiger snake.
He said two dead snakes have also been found at the home.
”The (homeowner) doesn’t understand why it’s happening,” Pelley said.
“I can’t figure out why there are so many different snakes on the property at the same time.
Pelley said the homeowner has had to keep her pets inside when left unattended due to the dangerous nature of the snakes.
“It seems to be a thoroughfare for snakes, it seems like every snake in Diamond Creek has decided to make its way there,” he said.
In winter, snakes enter a dormant state called brumation, in which they stop eating and their metabolism slows as the temperature drops.
This means they will usually seek out somewhere to hide, sheltered from changes in surface temperature, but they can still be about, particularly on sunny days.
“Even though we have cooler weather, Spring has officially started and they are all emerging even though the weather is still cool so when it warms up I am expecting a lot more snakes than usual this year,” Pelley said.
“It’s busier than expected for this time of the year. Irregular weather patterns cause irregular patterns with the snakes.
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“When it’s hot they are out but when it’s cold they are looking to hide. They don’t have much chance to find somewhere because the weather is changing so fast, that they are ending up in the wrong place.”
If bitten by a snake, experts recommend moving away from the snake, removing any jewellery and applying a pressure bandage.
The bandage should be wrapped from below, upwards and over the bite site. The bitten area should be immobilised, then call Triple Zero for help.
